Locking attachment for cell door operating mechanisms



L. J. WHITE March 13, 1934.

Filed March 23, 1935 Gttorneg Patented Mar. 13, 1934 once LOGKKNG ATTACHMENT FOR CELL DOOR OPERATING MEGHANISMS Loyd J. White, San Antonio,

Southern Prison Company, a corporation of Texas Application March 23, 1933, Serial No. 662,343

Tex, assignor to 5: San Antonio, Tex,

5 Claims.

This invention relates to operating mechanism for cell doors and, among other objects, aims to provide a novel locking attachment for master actuating mechanism wherein a single hand wheel or the like is employed to operate the doors in a cell block. The idea is to provide a simple, relatively inexpensive and reliable attachment which may be used by a guard or keeper to lock the mechanism in any intermediate position and thereby hold the selected operated doors in their partially open or partially closed positions.

Other aims and advantages of the invention will appear in the specification, when considered in connection with the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary sectional view showing one form of the attachment applied to master operating mechanism of the continuous movement type;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary front elevation, partly in section, showing a hand wheel and associated parts; and

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional View through the hand wheel.

In large prison installations having cell blocks containing a great number of cells, it is importantthat the master operating mechanism which is connected selectively to lock, unlock, open and close the doors, shall be as nearly foolproof as possible. Such mechanism usually includes operating parts adapted to be selectively connected to sliding doors. When the doors are unlocked and are moved from closed to open position or vice versa, it is possible for a prisoner to jam one or more of them in their intermediate positions. This can be done by putting any obstacle in the path of a door so that the guard cannot move any of the open or partially open doors beyond the jammed position of one of them. For example, a single prisoner could use a shoe or any other article as an obstruction to prevent any of the open doors from being fully closed. This would make it necessary for the guard to remove the obstruction and, to do this, he must go into the prisoners corridor and be subject to attack by all of the prisoners whose doors happen to be partially open. This invention provides a simple, reliable and effective locking attachment for the operating mechanism, whereby partially open and jammed doors may be held in their respective jammed positions, even though they may not be locked, until the guard or attendant can remove the obstruction, without subjecting himself to any danger of attack or mutiny of the prisoners.

Referring particularly to the drawing, one

form of the attachment is illustrated as being applied to a master operating system of the type disclosed in the Hart et al. Patent 1,836,661, dated December 15, 1931. However, it is to be understood that the invention is applicable to other types of operating mechanism employing a hand wheel or the like to propel the doors. The actuating mechanism shown in said patent does not require any detailed description. Briefly, it embodies gearing for imparting the necessary sequential movements to a master locking bar 16 and a master propelling bar 11. Intermittent gears are employed to enable both master bars to be actuated by a single actuating member shown as being an ordinary hand wheel in said patent.

In Fig. 1, continuous rotating movement in either direction is adapted to be imparted to the intermittent gearing by means of a shaft 12, bevel gears 13, vertical shaft 14, bevel gears 15, hand wheel shaft 16 and a hand wheel 17 arranged in a casing or master control box 18. The usual selector mechanism and other attachments generally used in such systems are omitted for the sake of clarity. The hand wheel shaft 16 projects through the operating panel 19 of the control box or casing and the hand wheel, which is shown as being cup-shaped, is removably secured to it. The arrangement of the gearing is such that the hand wheel may be turned through a complete revolution to unlock, open and lock open and to unlock, close and lock closed the selected doors. This much of the mechanism is disclosed generally and claimed specifically in the aforesaid patent.

Referring to Figs. 2 and 3, the operating hand wheel is shown as having a slidable, plungertype handle 20 mounted in an opening through an internal boss 21 in the wheel. This handle is adapted to be projected outwardly to the dotted position shown, to permit the hand wheel to be manipulated. When it is projected inwardly as shown in full lines, it passes through an opening 22 in the panel 19, thus locking the hand wheel against any accidental rotation. The arrangement is such that when the handle is projected, its outer end lies in the path of the control box door or doors and will prevent them from being closed, thus insuring that all cell doors are locked before the guard or keeper can close and lock the control box.

To enable the hand wheel to be locked in any one of its intermediate positions, the plunger type handle 20 is here shown as cooperating with a locking member in the form .of a relatively thick disk 23 bolted or otherwise secured to the panel behind the hand wheel. This disk has a plurality of openings or peripheral notches 24 into which the inner end of the handle may be projected by the operator. The notch at the bottom of the disk is shown as being somewhat wider than the others so as to register with the handle after the gearing has worn somewhat or to allow for a little lost motion. Any number of notches for the inner end of the handle may be provided in the disk or a separate ratchet may be employed in conjunction with the handle or the hand wheel to accomplish the same result. The simple mechanism is preferred because the handle serves the two-fold purpose of locking the hand wheel to the panel when the doors are closed and locked and also of preventing the control box from being closed and locked until the parts are moved to this position.

Assuming that all of the doors have been opened to release the prisoners for their daily exercise or for other purposes, and when they have returned to be locked up again, one of them attempts to jam the mechanism by placing an obstruction in the way of his door, the guard or keeper will turn the hand wheel until the door strikes the obstruction and will then note that the locking mechanism has not functioned or that the plunger type handle 20 has not registered with the opening 22 in the panel. He will then push the handle into one of the locking notches. This will serve to hold all of the doors almost closed while he investigates and locates the obstruction. While the doors are held almost closed, but not actually locked by the looking mechanism, none of the prisoners can shove them open and escape from the cells to attack the guard or keeper while he is in their corridor. Furthermore, this simple locking arrangement will enable the guard to thwart the efiort of any prisoner to stand in the path of a cell door and jam the mechanism because the guard can apply considerable closing pressure to the doors and catch the offender.

While the simplified form of safety locking mechanism has been described specifically in connection with a master door operating system having a single master operating member in the form of a hand wheel, it is to be distinctly understood that the invention may be app-lied to other types of mechanism, such as those wherein separate hand wheels or operating members for the locking and door propelling bars are used.

Obviously, the present invention is not restricted to the particular embodiment thereof herein shown and described.

What is claimed is:

l. A master operating system for cell doors comprising, in combination, master door propelling and lock operating members; a system of gearing connected to impart sequential movements to said members; a single hand wheel connected to operate the gearing, a plungertype handle on the hand wheel; a panel wall adjacent to the hand wheel having an opening into which said handle is adapted to be projected to lock the hand wheel and the connected gearing in door separate locking position; and a locking member cooperating with the handle to lock the hand wheel in any intermediate position.

2. A master operating system for cell doors comprising, in combination, master door propelling and lock operating members; intermittent gears connected to impart sequential actuating movements to said door propelling and locking members; a single hand wheel having a shaft connected to operate said gears; a plunger type handle on the hand wheel; and means adjacent to the hand wheel cooperating with the plunger type handle to lock the hand wheel and all of the connected mechanism either in their door locking position or in any one of a series of intermediate positions at which a door may be jammed.

3. A master operating system for cell doors comprising, in combination, master door propelling and lock operating members; a system of gearing connected to impart sequential movements to said members; a hand wheel arranged within a master control box and connected to impart actuating a plunger type handle on the hand wheel; a panel wall in the control box having an opening into which said handle is adapted to be projected to lock the hand wheel in its door looking position; and a disk-shaped locking member having a series of spaced notches to receive the handle so as to lock the hand wheel in any of its intermediate positions.

4. A master operating system for cell doors comprising, in combination, master door propelling and lock operating members; operating means connected to impart sequential movement to said members; a hand wheel arranged within a master control box and connected to movements to said gearing,

impart movements to said operating means; a

hand wheel in its door locking position; and

a locking member having a multiplicity of notches into which the handle may be projected to lock the hand wheel in any intermediate position, said handle, when it is projected outwardly extending into the path of a door for the control box so that the control box cannot be closed and locked without first turning the hand wheel to its door locking position and projecting the handle inwardly into the hole in said wall.

5. A master operating system for cell doors comprising, in combination, master door propelling and lock operating members; mechanism connected to impart sequential actuating movements to said members; a single hand wheel connected to operate said mechanism and arranged within a control box; a locking member in the control box associated with the hand wheel; and manually operated means on the hand wheel cooperating with said locking member to lock the hand wheel and said mechanism in any one of several different positions. 

